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Birth complications found to be more common at night

June 14, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters LIfe!) – Picking the time of day to give birth may not be a choice many women can make but it could influence her chances of a smooth delivery, according to a Dutch research.

Lifestyle

A study of more than 700,000 births at Dutch hospitals between 2000 and 2006 found that the risks of newborn death and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit were higher with nighttime than daytime deliveries.

The researchers said that the findings, published in obstetrics and gynecology journal BJOG (here) are in line with trends in other studies not only in obstetrics, but in hospital intensive care units as well.

Overall, the study found infants at smaller community hospitals who were born in the evening (between 6 p.m. and midnight) or overnight into early morning (between midnight and 8 a.m.) were 32 percent to 47 percent more likely to die than those born during the day.

Larger medical centers that would see more high-risk pregnancies — so-called tertiary centers – did not have as much of a difference between night and day. At these hospitals, only overnight births – as opposed to evening births — were linked to an increased risk of newborn death.

The findings were similar when the researchers looked at the risk of all adverse birth outcomes together.

But they stressed that in developed countries serious complications are rare no matter what time of day or night a woman delivers. “It is very important indeed to realize that risks are generally low and that the level of care in these kinds of Western countries is high,” researcher Dr. Eric Steegers of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam told Reuters Health.

Of the nearly 656,000 singleton births at community hospitals, between 0.05 and 0.09 percent of infants died during or soon after birth. Rates were higher among infants born at tertiary hospitals, but were still less than 1 percent.

Steegers said it is possible that the increased risks reflect the fact that fewer senior staff members — including obstetricians, neonatologists and anesthesiologists — are available during night shifts.

Supporting that idea, the researchers found fewer infant deaths and complications at community hospitals when experienced doctors may be making the initial decisions on how to manage high-risk situations.

Steegers said that more research is needed, however, to understand the extent to which hospital organization plays into the higher risk of childbirth complications at night.

It’s also possible that staff fatigue is a factor, since night-shift work is at odds with the body’s natural rhythms.

(Reporting by Amy Norton, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

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Eyes clue to Alzheimer”s diagnosis

May 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 21 (ANI): Scientists have found that the protein that forms plaques in the brain in Alzheimer”s disease also accumulates in the eyes of people with Down syndrome.

The new findings in Down syndrome show that the toxic protein, known as amyloid-ß, that causes Alzheimer”s pathology in the brain also leads to distinctive cataracts in the eyes.

The discovery is leading the researchers to develop an innovative eye test for early detection of Alzheimer”s pathology in both disorders.

The research, led by Lee E. Goldstein, Massociate professor at Boston University School of Medicine and the Boston University Alzheimer”s Disease Center, and Juliet A. Moncaster, associate director of the Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory, also at Boston University, was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and reported in the May 20 issue of PLoS One.

The study included investigators at the Brigham & Women”s Hospital; Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Rush University Medical Center; Children”s Hospital Boston, and the University of Washington, Seattle.

“People with Down syndrome develop symptoms of Alzheimer”s-type dementia often by the age of 30,” said Goldstein, senior co-author of the study.”This is because they have an extra copy of a key Alzheimer”s gene that leads to increased amyloid-ß accumulation in the brain. We discovered that this same protein starts to accumulate very early in the lens of the eye, even in children, ” Goldstein added.

Moncaster, co-lead author of the study, said: “The lens provides a window to the brain. The lens can”t clear protein deposits the way the brain does. Our findings show that the same amyloid-ß protein that aggregates in the brain also accumulates in the lens and leads to these unusual cataracts in Down syndrome.”

David G. Hunter, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at Children”s Hospital Boston and Vice Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, said: “The results are striking. We have known that these cataracts are prevalent in people with Down syndrome and are sometimes seen at birth, but we never knew how they were related to the disorder-now we know. These distinctive cataracts appear only in people with advanced Alzheimer”s disease and much earlier in Down syndrome.”

Goldstein said: “We are developing an eye scanner to measure amyloid-ß in the lens. This approach may provide a way for early detection and monitoring of related pathology in the brain. Effective treatments for the brain disease in Down syndrome and Alzheimer”s disease are on the horizon, and early detection is the key for successful intervention. The path to effective treatment is what drives our research.” (ANI)

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Potential new treatment for blood-related cancers

May 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): In a new clinical trial, scientists have found that SNS-032, one of the first in a new class of drugs that inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases, is safe and could offer a potential clinical cure for advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Cyclin-dependent kinases are enzymatic proteins that are integrally involved in cellular metabolism, renewal and signaling, and are thought to play key roles in the growth of cancers.

The drug did not demonstrate any clinical effect against advanced multiple myeloma, although researchers hope it might still prove to have some benefit against this blood cancer as part of combination therapy.

“No drugs that target this cancer mechanism are on the market today. I am hopeful that larger studies will show that this targeted therapy is useful against a number of advanced B cell malignancies,” said study author Dr. David S. Siegel, Co-Chief, Multiple Myeloma, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma are both considered B cell malignancies, as they attack these cells, also known as B lymphocytes.

Both types of blood cancer leave their victims susceptible to infections and other serious complications. While there are treatments for both cancers, there is no cure, and more effective treatments are needed.

The researchers tested the new medication on 37 patients, 19 with CLL and 18 with myeloma. All patients were given SNS-032, and all were aware of what they were taking.

To test both the drug”s safety and the best potential dose, SNS-032 was given intravenously as a “loading” dose – an initially higher dose that is then reduced to a maintenance level – over five minutes.

This was followed by a six-hour infusion given to all patients on a weekly basis for three consecutive weeks.

One patient with CLL had more than a 50 percent reduction in measurable disease, but no improvement in disease markers in the blood.

Another CLL patient had stable disease for four courses of treatment.

For multiple myeloma, two patients had stable disease with treatment and one had normalization of spleen size, which is an indication of a reduction in blood cancer activity.

Looking at blood test results for the patients, the researchers found anti-cancer activity.

The drug appeared to inhibit cyclin–dependent kinases 7 and 9, two of the three enzymatic proteins targeted in this study.

They also caused apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells.

“Our study found that this drug is well tolerated and had some clinical effect, but it is important to note that this was a small, very early stage study. Based on these findings, there is justification for additional research, which will show whether this drug has a place in the arsenal of treatments for hematologic malignancies,” said Siegel.

Preclinical studies of SNS-032 demonstrated that the drug inhibited the growth of cancer cells, and induced apoptosis, in B cell malignancies.

The study was published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. (ANI)

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Scientists discover infection-inducing mechanism in bacteria

May 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 19 (ANI): A new study has shown that bacteria have a surprising mechanism to transfer virulent genes causing infections.

The research describes an unprecedented evolutionary adaptation and could contribute to finding new ways of treating and preventing bacterial infections.

Pathogenic genes are responsible for making bacteria capable of causing diseases. These genes cause bacteria to produce specific types of toxins and determine whether or not a disease will later develop in an individual.

These virulent genes can be passed from one bacteria to another if the genome segments containing them, known as pathogenicity islands, are transferred from one to another.

A team of researchers from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, together with members of the CSIC Institute for Agrobiotechnology, Public University of Navarre, Virginia Commonwealth University, and New York University Medical Center, coordinated by the Valencian Institute for Agronomic Research (IVIA) and CEU-Cardenal Herrera University, have studied the mechanisms producing virulence in staphylococcus bacteria and causing the Toxic Shock Syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal illness in 50 percent of the cases.

Researchers observed how pathogenicity islands underwent an unprecedented evolutionary adaptation to be able to transfer pathogens to other innocuous bacteria and thus transform them into virulent bacteria.

Under normal conditions, pathogenicity islands produce the protein Stl, which binds to the DNA segment containing virulent genes and represses the transfer of the island. However, sometimes bacteria become infected with a virus, which packages and transfers these virulent genes to other bacteria.

Scientists have discovered that these islands can detect the presences of a virus, eliminate the repression produced by Stl, and thus commence a replication and packaging cycle. The island is then capable of transference and of making other harmless bacteria turn virulent.

The new mechanism discovered by scientists is of great importance for the development of new treatments for diseases caused by bacterial toxins.

The pathogenicity island studied is a prototype of a new family of virulent DNA recently discovered which also can be transferred to other species of bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, responsible for a large number of intoxications.

The research appears in the journal Nature. (ANI)

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Mice study shows slight changes in 2 genes launches breast cancer development

May 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 13 (ANI): Scientists have made a new breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer.

Researchers at Georgetown Lombard Comprehensive Cancer Center have been able to show, in mice, how just a little adjustment in the expression of two common genes can promote the kind of cellular changes that led to breast cancer.

They say these tweaks likely mimic natural variation women have in expression of the two genes.

The researchers say that a readout of these two genes – estrogen receptor alpha and p53 – in healthy women could provide an “interacting biomarker” that might predict future breast cancer risk.

“It was believed that both of these genes only act once breast cancer had developed – p53 mutations are found in many cancers, including breast cancer, and the majority of women with breast cancer have over-expression of this common estrogen receptor,” says the study”s lead investigator, Priscilla A. Furth, a professor of oncology and medicine with Lombardi at Georgetown University Medical Center.

“What wasn”t known is that different levels of expression of these genes can help launch the cellular changes that lead to breast cancer.

“That suggests that testing women for their own variations in these genes might potentially give us a clue as to which women are at higher risk for development of breast cancer,” Furth adds.

In the study, the researchers developed mice in which one copy of the p53 gene was silenced (mice, and humans, inherit two copies, one from each parent), and tested the effect on what is known as development of preneoplasia, or early breast cancer progression.

The p53 gene, long called the ”guardian of the genome,” is known as a very powerful tumour suppressor because it regulates cell growth. Alterations to p53 are reported in 30-40 percent of human breast cancers, and this loss is linked to increased cancer aggressiveness, poor prognosis, and chemotherapy resistance.

The researchers also increased expression of the estrogen receptor by two-fold, an equivalent elevation sometimes seen in women. Almost 70 percent of women with breast cancer have estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, meaning that the estrogen hormone is driving cell growth because it is binding to, in some cases, an over abundance of its receptors on the outside of breast cells.

Both mouse models showed significant precancerous changes in breast tissue. They then compared those effects with changes seen in mice that had one p53 gene as well as twice as much estrogen receptor expression, and found substantially higher evidence of early stage breast cancer progression.

“Normal breast tissue functioning requires a balance of cell growth and cell death, and in this study we found that both deregulated estrogen receptor function and p53 expression independently, and in combination, altering this balance and transforming cells,” Furth says.

The study has published in the May 15 issue of Cancer Research. (ANI)

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Scientists identify genes involved in human eye color

May 7, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 7 (ANI): Boffins have identified three new genetic loci which are involved in the subtle and quantitative variation of human eye colour.

The study, led by Manfred Kayser of the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is published May 6 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

Previous studies on the genetics of human eye colour used broadly-categorized trait information such as ”blue”, ”green”, and ”brown”; however, variation in eye colour exists in a continuous grading from the lightest blue to the darkest brown.

In this genome-wide association study, the eye colour of about 6000 Dutch Europeans from the Rotterdam Study was digitally quantified using high-resolution full-eye photographs. This quantitative approach, which is cost-effective, portable, and time efficient, revealed that human eye colour varies along more dimensions than are represented by the colour categories used previously.

The researchers identified three new loci significantly associated with quantitative eye colour. One of these, the LYST gene, was previously considered a pigmentation gene in mice and cattle, whereas the other two had no previous association with pigmentation.

These three genes, together with previously identified ones, explained over 50 percent of eye colour variance, representing the highest accuracy achieved so far in genomic prediction of complex and quantitative human traits.

“These findings are also of relevance for future forensic applications”, said Kayser, “where appearance prediction from biological material found at crime scenes may provide investigative leads to trace unknown persons”. (ANI)

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Long-term use of certain contraception jabs linked to increased fracture risk

May 7, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 7 (ANI): DMPA, a commonly used injectible contraceptive, is associated with higher risk of bone fracture when used alone, and not in combination with estrogens, according to a new study.

The study was presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis (IOF WCO-ECCEO10) in Florence, Italy.

Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is a progestin-only long acting reversible hormonal contraceptive birth control drug which is injected every 3 months. It is used by more than 9 million women worldwide, with high usage among teenagers in Europe and the US.

Previous research has shown that use of DMPA is associated with impaired bone acquisition during adolescence and accelerated bone loss later in life, mainly in younger women with lower estrogen levels. However, few studies have looked into the impact of DMPA on fracture risk.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland and the Boston University Medical Center, Lexington, USA, used a case-control analysis to evaluate the relationship between long-term use of DMPA, with or without estrogen, and the risk of fractures. The results show that in women below 50 years of age, longer-term use of DMPA of two and more years is associated with a 50 percent increased risk of fracture. For users of combined estrogen-containing oral contraceptives fracture risk was not increased. (ANI)

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Everolimus-eluting stent safer, more effective than paclitaxel-eluting stent

May 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 6 (ANI): Everolimus-eluting stents demonstrate enhanced safety and efficacy in the treatment of de novo native coronary artery lesions when compared to paclitaxel-eluting stents, scientists have discovered.

Results from the SPIRIT IV clinical trial, which were first presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2009 scientific symposium, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The trial, a large-scale multi-center study of nearly 4,000 patients in the U.S., also examined the differences in performance of the two stents in patients with diabetes.

“The data published in today”s New England Journal of Medicine, and first reported at TCT, demonstrate enhanced safety and efficacy of the everolimus-eluting stent compared to the paclitaxel-eluting stent in this large-scale study without routine angiographic follow-up. The study results also suggest that minimal late loss may be achieved with drug-eluting stents without sacrificing safety,” said principal investigator Gregg W. Stone, MD, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and Co-Director of the Medical Research and Education Division at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. (ANI)

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Just one sleepless night can induce insulin resistance

May 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 6 (ANI): Just one night of short sleep duration can induce insulin resistance, a component of type 2 diabetes, says a new study.

The study will be published in The Endocrine Society”s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

“Sleep duration has shortened considerably in western societies in the past decade and simultaneously, there has been an increase in the prevalence of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes,” said Esther Donga, MD of the Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands and lead author of the study. “The co-occurring rises in shortened sleep and diabetes prevalence may not be a coincidence. Our findings show a short night of sleep has more profound effects on metabolic regulation than previously appreciated.”

In the study, researchers examined nine healthy subjects, once after a night of normal sleep duration (approximately eight hours), and once after a night of four hours of sleep.

Insulin sensitivity of each study participant was measured using the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp method. This method uses catheters to infuse glucose and insulin into the bloodstream and then determines insulin sensitivity by measuring the amount of glucose necessary to compensate for an increased insulin level without causing hypoglycemia.

“Our data indicate that insulin sensitivity is not fixed in healthy subjects, but depends on the duration of sleep in the preceding night,” said Donga. “In fact it is tempting to speculate that the negative effects of multiple nights of shortened sleep on glucose tolerance can be reproduced, at least in part, by just one sleepless night.” (ANI)

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Cardiovascular disease mortality in China to rise by 73 percent by 2030

May 5, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

New York, May 5 (ANI): Researchers have projected that aging, smoking, high blood pressure and other risk factors will increase annual heart disease and stroke rates in China by up to a drastic 73 percent by 2030.

This would mean that 21.3 million more people will die of cardiovascular diseases alongwith 7.7 million related deaths.

The only way to avoid such a situation would be if China dramatically eliminates smoking in men, or lowers high blood pressure in men and women.

“China is a prime example of a middle income nation in transition. The country’s standard of living and life expectancy have improved for many, but aging, dietary changes and less physical activity are leading to more heart disease and stroke,” said lead author Andrew Moran, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, N.Y.

“Our study used a computer model to forecast future cardiovascular disease in Chinese adults, and is the first to project the individual and combined effects of major risk factor trends on a national scale.”

Demographic changes will be the main driver of the CVD epidemic in China in the next two decades, Moran said.

To counter this possibility, Moran advises an aggressive anti-tobacco policy and control of elevated blood pressure.

Moran and colleagues reviewed risk factor surveys of Chinese adults, ages 35-84, since economic reforms in the 1980s, and used them to project future trends in blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and body weight.

Although smoking prevalence has declined in men by more than 10 percent since the mid 1980s, 62 percent of Chinese men still smoke, and 49 percent of non-smokers, mostly women, are exposed to passive smoke, researchers said. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: adults ages, Andrew Moran, cardiovascular disease, Cardiovascular Diseases, chinese men, columbia university medical, computer model, Demographic Changes, Dietary Changes, Disease Mortality, economic reforms, high blood pressure, Mid 1980s, Middle Income Nation, Passive Smoke, risk factor, risk factors, stroke rates, tobacco policy, university medical center

Neglected infections can be eliminated at a fraction of nuclear weapon cost

April 28, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 28 (ANI): An editorial published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, has claimed that the 11 nuclear power states (United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran, and possibly Syria) can eliminate neglected infections, which account for up to 50 percent of the global disease burden, if they were to invest less than 1/10,000th of the cost needed for maintaining their respective nuclear arsenals.

Dr. Peter Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Distinguished Research Professor at The George Washington University Medical Center, estimates that “the 11 nuclear weapons states together have invested at least 10 trillion dollars on weapons production and maintenance” while “the costs for both neglected disease control and R and D comes close to a billion dollars, or roughly less than 1/10,000th of the estimated 10 trillion dollars committed for nuclear weapons.”, reports EurekAlert.

India accounts for roughly a quarter of the world”s 120 million cases of lymphatic filariasis, a disfiguring and stigmatizing vector-borne infection associated with elephantiasis.

Ironically, primary healthcare for all has been a long-standing goal in this country.

Investments in nuclear weaponry are carried out under the auspice of deterring war and thus promoting peace, claims Hotez, but these and additional benefits, can be achieved through neglected disease funding.

“Great efforts are needed to engage leaders of the nuclear weapons states in a frank dialogue about reallocation of resources toward public health and scientific pursuits for neglected tropical disease R and D and control,” says Hotez. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Auspice, Disease Burden, Distinguished Research, Eurekalert, Frank Dialogue, George Washington University, global disease, India-Pakistan, Lymphatic Filariasis, Nuclear Arsenals, Nuclear Weaponry, nuclear weapons states, Power States, primary healthcare, Promoting Peace, research professor, Sabin Vaccine Institute, Tropical Disease, Tropical Diseases, university medical center

Popular antidepressants may give cardiovascular health a boost

April 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 27 (ANI): A class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may improve cardiovascular health by affecting the way platelets, small cells in the blood involved in clotting, clump together, say researchers.

In a study of 50 adults, the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood researchers found that platelets were slower to clump together, or aggregate, in participants who were taking an SSRI to treat depression.

As depression is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, this finding could indicate a beneficial side effect for people who take SSRIs to treat depression, said Evangelos Litinas, MD, Research Associate in the Center”s Pathology Department.

Dr. Litinas will present the team”s research at the American Physiological Society”s annual Experimental Biology 2010 conference being held in Anaheim, CA from April 24-28. (ANI)

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Eat like the Greeks to boost your brainpower

April 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 27 (ANI): People who eat a classic Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits, olive oil, cereals and fish improve their brainpower, says an ongoing prospective study.

Called the Chicago Health and Aging Project, the study has shown that adherence to the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of cognitive decline with older age.

“This diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, fish, olive oil, lower meat consumption, and moderate wine and non-refined grain intake,” said lead author Dr. Christy Tangney of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “Instead of espousing avoidance of foods, the data support that adults over age 65 should look to include more olive oil, legumes, nuts, and seeds in their diet in order to improve their recall times and other cognitive skills, such as identifying symbols and numbers.”

The nearly 4,000 participants in this study included black and white adults aged 65 and older. They were given a battery of cognitive tests which were assigned scores and then a clinical interview. Those who ranked in the highest in terms of following such a Mediterranean-type diet were more protected from cognitive decline. The adults were given these cognitive tests every 3 years for 15 years. “Finally, we want older adults to remember that physical activity is an important part of maintaining cognitive skills,” added Tangney.

The finding has been presented at the Experimental Biology 2010 Meeting in Anaheim as part of the scientific program of the American Society for Nutrition. (ANI)

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Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) Presents “Caribbean Nights” to Benefit the Children`s Diabetes Center

April 16, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON–(Business Wire)–
Kenneth Beatrice and David Nelson, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at
GUMC, will co-host “Caribbean Nights,” an evening filled with drinks, dinner,
dancing and a `live` auction to benefit one of Washington`s most important
causes-diabetes-on April 24th at the Georgetown University Conference Center.
The evenings emcee`s will be joined by people living with diabetes, care-givers
of those with diabetes, members of Congress and Georgetown University
researchers dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes, the nation`s seventh
leading cause of death.

The evening will include a dinner prepared by local chefs and luxury `live`
auction which features sports memorabilia and vacations worldwide. “Caribbean
Nights” is hosted by Georgetown University Children`s Medical Center and all
funds raised will benefit the Diabetes Research and Education Program. The
program provides diabetes education on both a local and national level by
offering free educational seminars and support groups. Its research is aimed at
preventing diabetes and discovering scientific breakthroughs to improve the
lives of people with type 1 (juvenile) and type II-diabetes mellitus.

“Georgetown`s Diabetes Research and Education Program is committed to searching
for a cure and finding more effective ways to manage diabetes,” says Douglas
Sobel, MD, professor and Head of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and
Diabetes. “Nearly 8.3 people out of 100 have diabetes in the district, which is
the 4th highest rate in the country.”

For more information, please contact Tressa Kirby at (202)-687-8865 or
Tk275@georgetown.edu. Tickets are $40 for adults, $15 for children under 17, or
$125 per family. Media are invited to attend. High-resolution photos available
upon request.

About Georgetown University Medical Center

Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic
medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care
(through Georgetown’s affiliation with MedStar Health). GUMC’s mission is
carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the
Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis — or “care of the whole person.”
The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and
Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Lombardi
Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization
(BGRO), home to 60 percent of the university’s sponsored research funding.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:

http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6247944〈=en

Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC)
Tressa Iris Kirby, 202-687-8865
Tk275@georgetown.edu

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Bruker and KIESTRA Lab Automation Announce Alliance in Microbial Identification by MALDI Biotyper Molecular Fingerprinting and Microbiology Lab Automation

April 10, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

VIENNA–(Business Wire)–
Prior to the 20th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Clinical
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases on April 10-13, 2010 in Vienna, Bruker
Daltonics and KIESTRA Lab Automation announce an expanded partnership covering
co-marketing and cross-selling of their respective technologies for microbiology
routine laboratories, as well as a joint research and development program for
interfacing their technologies.

In recent years, Bruker and KIESTRA Lab Automation have worked with a number of
customers applying both technologies in their laboratories. Together with the
Academical Medical Center (Amsterdam), the Jeroen Bosch Hospital (Den Bosch),
Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden) and Streeklab Haarlem (Haarlem), both
companies applied for the prestigious European Research Initiative EUREKA
(www.eureka.be). Typically, EUREKA R&D is lead by industry and is focused on
significant new customer requirements. In March 2010, the participating project
partners ranked at third position of the EUREKA tender for their joint 24/7
Bacteriology Identification & Sensitivity System (BISS) project. In addition to
integration of both technologies, a goal of the BISS project is to enable
unattended 24/7 operation for bacterial identification.

Mr. Jetze Botma, Chief Executive Officer at KIESTRA Lab Automation, stated: “It
is remarkable to see how relatively new players in the microbiology market have
changed the competitive landscape in the last couple of years. The trends of
consolidation of laboratories and of centralizing microbiology laboratory
services will further increase the demand for professional automation solutions.
In addition, an early identification by the MALDI Biotyper in many cases can
already initiate a germ-specific therapy, which leads to a significant increase
in laboratory and hospital efficacy. The effective combination of both
technologies will help to ease the burden on the healthcare system.”

Dr. Wolfgang Pusch, Vice President for Clinical Research Solutions & IVD at
Bruker Daltonics, added: “This strategic partnership with KIESTRA Lab Automation
is an excellent match for Bruker. We are two leading suppliers offering
innovative technologies for the microbiology market, in laboratory automation
and in molecular microbial ID. Each of our technologies alone has been quite
successful already, and in combination they could change the way microbiology is
performed in many routine labs. KIESTRA´s technology brings the same level of
automation into the microbiology lab that was introduced in clinical chemistry
15 years ago. Moreover, the MALDI Biotyper reduces the identification turnaround
time for patient samples significantly. Both technologies integrated together
will help microbiology laboratories to perform their important tasks faster and
better, despite a predicted shortage in experienced laboratory staff.”

About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper

Bruker`s proprietary MALDI Biotyper solution enables molecular identification,
taxonomical classification or dereplication of microorganisms like bacteria,
yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is
achieved reliably and quickly using proteomic fingerprinting by high-throughput
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Applications include clinical routine microbial
identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research,
food and consumer product processing and quality control, as well as marine
microbiology. Bruker`s robust MALDI Biotyper method requires minimal sample
preparation efforts and offers low consumables cost per sample. The MALDI
Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, as well as in an IVD-CE
version according to EU directive EC/98/79 in certain European countries. For
more information, please visit www.maldibiotyper.com.

For more information about Bruker Daltonics and Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:
BRKR), please visit www.bdal.com and www.bruker.com/.

About Kiestra`s MalditofA for Fully Automatic Colony Picking

Bruker`s MALDI-TOF technology is a true revolution within medical bacteriology.
KIESTRA launches a full automatic colony picker, called MalditofA. The automatic
transfer of a colony to the target plate by the MalditofA guarantees that
possible manual mismatches are prevented. In order to enhance susceptibility
testing, the MalditofA also automatically creates the suspension fluid at. e.g.
0.5 McFarland. The MalditofA makes sure laboratories can take advantage to
reduce id-card usage while labor costs are reduced dramatically.

For more information about KIESTRA Lab Automation, please visit www.kiestra.nl.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT OF BRUKER

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical
facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements
contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to a number
of risks and uncertainties. The factors that could cause actual future results
to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to,
risks and uncertainties relating to adverse changes in conditions in the global
economy and volatility in the capital markets, the integration of businesses we
have acquired or may acquire in the future, changing technologies, product
development and market acceptance of our products, the cost and pricing of our
products, manufacturing, competition, dependence on collaborative partners and
key suppliers, capital spending and government funding policies, changes in
governmental regulations, intellectual property rights, litigation, and exposure
to foreign currency fluctuations. These and other factors are identified and
described in more detail in our filings with the SEC, including, without
limitation, our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009,
our most recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form
8-K. We disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking
statements other than as required by law.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:

http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6243451〈=en

MALDI Biotyper Marketing, Bruker Daltonics
Karin Hoffmann, +49-421-2205-2041
kho@bdal.de
or
KIESTRA Lab Automation
Anneke Dalstra, +31-512-510-710
adalstra@kiestra.nl

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Automation Solutions, Bruker Daltonics, chief executive officer, Clinical Microbiology, cross selling, Customer Requirements, Den Bosch, infectious diseases, Jeroen Bosch, Lab Automation, Laboratory Services, Leiden University Medical Center, microbial identification, Microbiology And Infectious Diseases, Microbiology Lab, Microbiology Laboratory, project partners, Research Initiative, third position, university medical center

Cells that mend a broken heart uncovered

March 25, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Mar 25 (ANI): Duke University Medical Center scientists have uncovered cells that mend a broken heart.

We, humans, have very limited ability to regenerate heart muscle cells. But damaged heart muscles in the highly regenerative zebrafish have given Duke scientists a few ideas that may lead to new directions in clinical research and better therapy after heart attacks.

“Our hearts don”t seem so complex that they shouldn”t have the capacity to regenerate,” said Kenneth Poss, Ph.D., senior author of the study in Nature and professor of cell biology at Duke. The data in this study showed that the major contributors to the regeneration of surgically removed heart muscle came from a subpopulation of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) near the area where the removal occurred.

The study appears in the March 25 issue of Nature.

The team labeled cells in the heart and found that cells that activated the gata4 gene upon injury ultimately contributed to regenerating the heart muscle.

The team first used a labeled “fluorescent reporter” fish that shows the presence of gata4, a gene required for heart formation in the developing embryo. They found that fluorescence was undetectable in uninjured zebrafish ventricles, but when they clipped a small section of the heart, a subpopulation of cardiac muscle cells along the outer wall of the ventricles began to fluoresce. Some of these cells near the removal site ultimately proliferate and integrate into the wound, replacing the injury clot.

“We don”t know the instructions or the mechanisms yet that mobilize these cells or cause them to proliferate, but we now know that they are the cells that are participating in new muscle growth,” said Poss, who is also an investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Finding a key origin of heart muscle provides a target for studies that will help scientists understand cardiac muscle regeneration, said lead author Kazu Kikuchi, a postdoctoral fellow in the Poss lab. “By studying this important cell population, we expect results that could help in the repair of diseased human hearts.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Broken Heart, cardiac muscle cells, cell biology, center scientists, duke university medical, duke university medical center, heart attacks, Heart Formation, heart muscle cells, heart muscles, howard hughes medical, howard hughes medical institute, hughes medical institute, Muscle Growth, muscle regeneration, postdoctoral fellow, target, university medical center, ventricles, zebrafish

HIV patients ‘at increased community acquired MRSA infection risk’

March 24, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 24 (ANI): A new study has shown that HIV-infected patients are at a markedly increased risk for community acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections.

In the study, researchers at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and Rush University Medical Center found that the incidence of CA-MRSA in the Chicago area was six-fold higher among HIV-infected patients than it was among HIV-negative patients.

Using electronic data, the study authors retrospectively studied HIV-infected patients with CA-MRSA who received medical care during the period of 2000 to 2007 in the regional Cook County Health and Hospitals System. Researchers used patients” zip codes to examine where the cases were distributed geographically.

Overall incidence of CA-MRSA increased significantly for all populations in Cook County from the first period (2000- 2003) to the second period (2004-2007). The incidence increased four-fold from 61 cases to 253 cases per 100,000 HIV-negative patients and nearly four-fold from 411 cases to 1474 cases per 100,000 HIV-infected patients, respectively.

“HIV does not cause CA-MRSA, but our study shows an association between HIV and CA-MRSA. The next steps are to find out what is going on in the community to cause these infections,” said study author Dr. Kyle Popovich, an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center.

“We believe the risk may be amplified by overlapping community-based social networks of high-risk patients,” Popovich added.

The study has been published in the April 1 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: clinical infectious diseases, County Health, First Period, high-risk, hiv patients, Infection Risk, Infectious Disease Specialist, infectious diseases, John H Stroger, John H Stroger Jr Hospital Of Cook County, mrsa infections, negative patients, resistant staphylococcus aureus, Risk Patients, rush university, social networks, study author, study authors, study researchers, university medical center

Cognitive decline 4 times faster in Alzheimer”s patients

March 23, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 23 (ANI): Cognitive abilities decline four times faster in Alzheimer”s patients than those without any cognitive impairment, say researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The research is the second population-based study to quantify the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer”s disease.

“Knowledge about the progressive cognitive decline in Alzheimer”s disease is mainly based on studies of persons evaluated in clinical settings. In such studies, the full spectrum of the disease is unlikely to be represented. As a result, it has been difficult to securely determine the cognitive consequences of the disease and to test whether they vary in racial or ethnic subgroups of the population,” said study author Dr. Robert S. Wilson.

The researchers aimed to quantify the rates of cognitive decline in people who developed Alzheimer”s disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment.

The study followed 1,168 older adults. At the beginning of the study, participants did not have dementia.

After a mean of five to six years, they had a detailed clinical evaluation and 614 persons were found to have no cognitive impairment, 395 had mild cognitive impairment, and 149 had Alzheimer”s disease. They then completed brief cognitive testing at 3-year intervals for a mean of five and half years.

In comparison to the no cognitive impairment group, the annual rate of cognitive decline was increased more than twofold in those with mild cognitive impairment and more than fourfold in those with Alzheimer”s disease. The results did not vary by race, sex, or age.

“This study is especially significant because half of the participants are African Americans. Most of what we know about Alzheimer”s disease is based on studies of Caucasians. Our study found no difference in how the disease played out in the two races,” said Wilson.

The study is published in the latest issue of the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: clinical evaluation, clinical settings, cognitive abilities, Cognitive Consequences, cognitive decline, cognitive testing, dementia, dr robert, Full Spectrum, Journal Neurology, medical journal, mild cognitive impairment, older adults, precursor, rush university, s wilson, study author, Study participants, Subgroups, university medical center

Factor that boosts stem cell growth, regeneration identified

March 22, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Mar 22 (ANI): A new growth factor has been found that stimulates the expansion and regeneration of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells in culture and in laboratory animals, say Duke University Medical Center scientists.

The discovery could help researchers overcome one of the most frustrating barriers to cellular therapy— the fact that stem cells are so few in number and so stubbornly resistant to expansion.

According to researchers, umbilical cord blood could serve as a universal source of stem cells for all patients who need a stem cell transplant.

But the numbers of stem cells in cord blood units are limited, and thus there is a clinical need to develop a method to expand cord blood stem cells for transplantation purposes.

“Unfortunately, there are no soluble growth factors identified to date that have been proven to expand human stem cells for therapeutic purposes,” said Dr. John Chute.

The researchers found that adding pleiotrophin, a naturally-occurring growth factor, stimulated a ten-fold expansion of stem cells taken from the bone marrow of a mouse.

They also found that pleiotrophin increased the numbers of human cord blood stem cells in culture that were capable of engraftment in immune-deficient mice.

When they injected pleiotrophin into mice that had received bone marrow-suppressive radiation, they observed a 10-fold increase in bone marrow stem cells compared to untreated mice.

“These results confirmed that pleiotrophin induces stem cell regeneration following injury,” said Chute.

Chute said that the finding could lead to broader application of cord blood transplants for the large numbers of patients who do not have an immune-matched donor.

“Perhaps more importantly, systemic treatment with pleiotrophin may have the potential to accelerate recovery of the blood and immune system in patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy,” he said.

Given the potency of the effect of pleiotrophin on stem cell expansion, the authors examined whether pleiotrophin provoked blood-forming cells to become malignant.

Chute said that until now, they have not seen any evidence of cancer in mice up to six months after treatment with pleiotrophin.

The Duke team is already conducting further experiments to determine if pleiotrophin is necessary for normal stem cell growth and development, and Chute said that it will be important to conduct additional animal studies before moving into human clinical trials.

“At this point, any progress we can make that helps us better understand which biological pathways are activated in stem cells in response to pleiotrophin will help move the discovery forward,” he added.

The study has appeared in the journal Nature Medicine. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Bone marrow, cell regeneration, Cellular Therapy, center scientists, Chute Chute, Cord Blood Stem Cells, Cord Blood Transplants, Cord Blood Units, Deficient Mice, duke university medical center, engraftment, growth factors, laboratory animals, potency, stem cell transplant, Stem Cells Taken From, Systemic Treatment, therapeutic purposes, Universal Source, university medical center

Female sex chromosomes, not just hormones, help in regulation of BP

March 16, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 16 (ANI): According to Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) scientists, something in female sex chromosomes appears to trigger a rise in blood pressure after the onset of menopause.

The finding challenges the current belief that sex hormones are largely responsible for regulating blood pressure.

Published in Hypertension, the research is the first of its kind and involves male mice engineered to have female (XX) sex chromosomes, and female mice with male (XY) chromosomes.

The finding suggests that sex chromosomes regulate blood pressure in and of themselves. Most researchers have thought that sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) play key roles in controlling blood pressure and that women develop hypertension after reaching menopause because of loss of estrogen.

“Up until now, it has been impossible to separate the influence of sex chromosomes from the effects of sex hormones, and in this paper, we have shown for the first time that sex chromosomes are impacting blood pressure – independent of sex hormones,” says the study”s lead investigator, Kathryn Sandberg, PhD, director of the GUMC Center for the Study of Sex Differences in Health, Aging, and Disease.

“That is not to say sex hormones don”t matter in blood pressure regulation, because they do, but we now know they aren”t the only players,” she says. “Estrogen likely works to protect against hypertension, but once the hormone is depleted, something is unmasked on female XX chromosomes that allows blood pressure to rise.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: blood pressure regulation, Female Hormones, female mice, female sex, georgetown university medical, GUMC, Hypertension, Male Mice, menopause, Menopause Estrogen, Onset Of Menopause, Phd Director, Sandberg, sex chromosomes, Sex Differences, sex hormones, testosterone, university medical center, Xx Chromosomes, Xy Chromosomes